looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

I looked at 3 A3s today and they all had rust. All 2006 or 2007 and roughly 150000 km.

The rust is on the bottom part of the doors. One Audi was bubbling pretty bad. I took a picture of the rust to ask Audi and other body shops how much its going to cost but I imagine a tonne because they have to take off the door, sand it, prime it, and repaint it.

I will post a picture later but are all A3 plagued like this? Does anyone else have rust after owning one for a few years? Did you repair it?

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

My 2008 isn't showing any signs of rust. No aftermarket rust proofing. Nova Scotia is hard on cars to. Honda actually tests their rust resistance here in real life trials.

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

Sorry, I meant 2007. I've done some research on this and the earlier models 2006/2007 are plagued with rust problems because the door was designed poorly. Apparently water gets in and doesn't drain, so the rust problems appear on these cars in the same place. What happens is the water rusts the bolts that hold the door together and the rust s preads to the door. You have to go to Audi Canada, submit a case and they take a few week considering whether or not you are eligible for door replacements.

Purchasing an Audi seems like a looming task

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

I took saw a few 2006s with the same problem.
I ended up with a flawless 2011.

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

Yea my06 was rusted on all 4 doors, seems to be a design flaw on their part. 12 year corrosion warranty is in full play with those kinds of problems...

But I she's still a beaut!!

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

I have a 2011 a3 quattro from new -IT is rusting everywhere-don't buy it or at least rust proof it every year even though rust warranty will be voided.

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

My 2008 has never been undercoated or treated with Krown or Rustproof. The only rust is on the rockers just behind the front wheels and it's just surface rust.
I live in Halifax where they use a ton of salt on the roads.

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

I sold my A3 because of this rust problem. Took it to Audi assuming it would be covered to some degree. They took pictures at the dealer and said head office would get back to me. Roughly 6 months later I get a letter from head office saying they would not cover a thing and it was my problem when it was obvious that it is a design flaw on the 2006 vintage years. Anyway f***ing Audi after all the money I spent on that damn car they did nothing, I still loved that car but I will never buy another one from those shishters we call Audi.

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

Just an update. This fall I noticed that I had some rust bubbling under the paint at the top of two wheelwell arches. As my 2008 A3 has a 12 year perforation warranty I took it to the dealer for assessment. To my amazement Audi refused my claim and also refused to discuss it with me, simply saying "The file is closed there is no further discussion." The written assessment says due to stone chips or other outside influences.

I'm astonished at Audi's aloofness. The only person I was able to speak with was the person who checked me in at the service desk. Apparently the car was taken to the dealerships body shop and photos were taken and sent to Audi who denied the claim. According to the guy behind the service desk the claim may have been denied because the fender had rust lower down due to rock chips so any repair to the fender, even though not associated with the chips, would be denied.

Some warranty. Not worth the powder to blow it to hell.

I was thinking of replacing my A3 with another Audi or VW. Not any more. I really don't care about the warranty repair costs, but the absolute refusal to let me speak with a company representative has led me to cross off this company from any future consideration as a supplier.

Re: looking to buy an A3 but omg, the rust
 

Thanks for the update Madturtle. That was my experience exactly, stone chips. I thought the rust only affected the 2006/7 models, I guess it just takes time. I recall when I first bought it, I asked the dealer if I should undercoat with the Krown or something like that. They said nah, the 12 yr rust warranty has you covered. Yah right. Audi has lost my business.